Moving and moving again as death draws near

Moving and moving again as death draws near

2^nd International Conference on Palliative Care
September 23-24, 2019 | Prague, Czech Republic

Donna M Wilson

University of Alberta, Canada

Abstract:

A very clear trend in end-of-life care is emerging and becoming evident worldwide. This trend is for homebased death and dying, and therefore also home-based endof- life care. Many countries have already realized a major shift from hospital-based deaths to deaths in the home such as the dying person’s own home or a family member’s home and also nursing homes since these are now the last home for many people.

There are laudable reasons for this shift out of hospital. The chief reason is that death is rarely unexpected now, with terminally ill people and their families having time to accept the inevitability of death and plan for death. A wish to die at home is often a major focus for these plans. However, death and dying at home is not always easily accomplished. End-oflife care can be emotionally and physically taxing, changes in health and supportive care needs are common as death nears, and many other factors contribute to the need for frequent care setting transitions as death nears.

This presentation will highlight existing evidence in an attempt to understand why dying people and their families want home deaths, review worldwide trends in location of death, and present new research on the contemporary problem of frequent moves from place to place as death nears. This presentation will focus on what must be done to better support home dying to reduce or eliminate the need for moving and moving again as death nears.

Biography:

Donna M Wilson is a professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta, with appointments in the Faculty of Medicine and University of Limerick. She has worked as a staff nurse, nursing supervisor, senior hospital administrator, media commentator, educator, researcher, and professor in Alberta, British Columbia, New Zealand, Texas and Ireland. Her research program focuses on health services and health policy; primarily in relation to aging, ageism and end-of-life care. Her work is oriented to myth busting, to ensure effective and accessible healthcare services for older and younger people. Her investigations often involve population data and mixed-methods research. She has over 300 articles, books, book chapters, and other peer-reviewed communications in print. She is frequently and widely consulted for expert commentary on aging, end-of-life care, health policy, healthcare services and health system trends and issues.

E-mail: donna.wilson@ualberta.ca

PDF HTML